‘Happyish’ Cancelled By Showtime After One Season

Happyish is ending its run on Showtime after one season. The pay cable network has confirmed to Deadline that the offbeat comedy would not be coming back for a second season.

Happyish had been a passion project for Showtime topper David Nevins who originally took in the comedy developed at Ken Kwapis’ company more than 3 years ago. It was ordered to pilot in summer 2013 with Philip Seymour Hoffman and Kathryn Hahn as the leads. In January 2014, the pilot was picked up to series, but the show was soon dealt a big blow when Hoffman suddenly died.

Nevins continued to be high on the premise by Happyish creator, This American Life contributor Shalom Auslander, and the project was eventually re-piloted with Steve Coogan and Hahn starring and again picked up to series.

But the series, described as a comedic, soul-searching examination of our pursuit of happiness, received lukewarm reception by critics and did not connect with viewers, drawing lackluster ratings, leading to Showtime brass’ decision to redirect its resources elsewhere. It comes a month after Happyish ended its 10-episode freshman run.

This is a rare case of a Showtime original series of the last decade not to go to a second season and the first since Nevins took over the network.

32 Comments

Really? With Homeland, Episodes, Penny Dreadful, the Affair, etc. I would say it easily rivals HBO in programing.

Really? • on Jul 24, 2015 5:04 pm

Lol, Jen. Seriously.

Never even heard of someone watching Penny Dreadful and The Affair is a total joke. Homeland goes up and down depending which writers quit that year. Episodes, I admit, is quality. And that’s not to mention the other shows on their air right now in a spiral (Masters of Sex, Ray Donovan, etc).

HBO has had stinkers too, but they’ve also given us The Sopranos, Eastbound and Down, Sex and the City, Game of Thrones, Mr. Show, The Wire, True Detective (only season 1, cough cough), Curb Your Enthusiasm, Girls, Silicon Valley, Deadwood, Veep… the list goes on and on.

Showtime is a half-dick joke of a cable network for dumb viewers who’s greatest accomplishment to date is a glorified version of Alias.

Matchbox • on Jul 24, 2015 7:53 pm

I’ve had both Showtime and HBO for years and watch quite a bit more shows on the former than the latter. And I’m willing to bet my IQ is higher than yours too.

Really? • on Jul 25, 2015 1:59 pm

If all that’s true I’m imagining you are either in a Clockwork Orange type situation because all the people with higher IQs than me that I know of only paid attention to Showtime briefly when Homeland seemed a sign they were stepping into the world of quality programming, only to realize it was a mistake. Netflix has existed for two years and has already made more quality programming.

Amidst a sea of unoriginal and poorly executed work, this was one of the few truly well-written shows in town. Another casualty of the lowest common denominator.

Bob Loblaw • on Jul 24, 2015 2:17 pm

Oh I guess it turns out you need to have worked in TV before you can run your own show. What a waste of acting talent. C’mon Coogan, you’re smarter than that.

Mike • on Jul 24, 2015 2:26 pm

it was a dreary misanthropic piece of work. I could barely stand to watch the first couple of episodes. Another show for miserable rich white people? Who needs it. And the reviews were not good either.

Greg • on Jul 24, 2015 4:09 pm

Loved the show! And I’m not even rich

Evillincoln • on Jul 24, 2015 4:47 pm

I see your point. & to an extent I kind of agree… that was the huge disconnect for me. It was utterly utterly jewish & “inside joke-ish” & I feel if you weren’t even remotely close to that culture, then it’ll pass right by. Just like it did. Shame cuz’ I really like the actors in the show…

Tripp • on Jul 24, 2015 7:35 pm

getting really annoyed at good television being cancelled. Easy to follow mind numbing crap stays on the air and develops a cult following; but happyish a show that had witty humor required you to pay attention and had plot gets pulled. smh

Mike hit the nail on the head. I mean seriously. Why do I care when privileged white people living in Woodstock NY complain about stuff while saying the F word every other sentence. The F word is reserved for teenagers and us middle income renters living in big city suburbs. Also, this show originally cast Phillip Seymor Hoffman.

Max • on Jul 24, 2015 2:28 pm

Loved the show, great casting, brilliant writing. Gotta make way for recycled dreck like Roadies. Really sad.

tinkerbell • on Jul 24, 2015 2:31 pm

It should never have been picked up in the first place. Coogan is no Hoffman.

Jonathan C • on Jul 24, 2015 3:16 pm

Lot of intensive derpin on this show. Derp city, I’d have to say.

marc • on Jul 24, 2015 3:22 pm

THIS SHOW SUCKED, IT WAS HORRIBLE. The only good thing was bradley whitford and he just got cast in HBO “All the Way”

iron maiden • on Jul 24, 2015 3:25 pm

Thank god. Coogan is far from funny and quite annoying. Go back to the UK. They get your broad, silly humor.

It was vulgar and didn’t care who was in the vicinity, including their kids on the show.

Theboogyman • on Jul 24, 2015 9:04 pm

It was on Showtime, were you really surprised that it wasn’t that stimulating??? It’s not going to be Mr. Rogers Neighborhood. It’s a low brow network, and the show came on in the evening. Also, I understand that a lot of people in America, don’t really get the dry, awkward, off time humor of the Brits. I thought the show, despite its sometimes extreme vulgarity on some subjects, was pretty funny. It’s not to made for rich white people to relate to it. Majority of rich white people act nothing like the characters on the show. The middle from upper class demographic are to boring to be able to understand why the show is funny. It was nice that Showtime had gone outside their softcore pornography box, and had the gumption to put on a show like Happish. Unfortunately, the people are quite content with their fart jokes, sitcoms with laugh tracks, and one line jokes that a 5th grader could understand even if they lived in the Midwest.

Sorry to hear this. I thought it was well-written, funny, and thought- provoking, and the lead actors were great. Disappointed to hear it won’t be going forward. I always laughed out loud when I watched it.

Anonymous • on Jul 25, 2015 2:19 am

Another good show down the drain, damn shame…

Anonymous • on Jul 25, 2015 6:29 pm

This is BS. This show was fantastic and funny while touching on reality of emotions. Why is every show I love get canceled. UGHhhhhhh

Bummer, loved the show and I have a high IQ and not rich, and at least Coogan is alive -loved him in Hamlet 2 and loved all the alien scenes in HAPPYISH. There will never be another Seymour Hoffman- too cool to live. Showtime and HBO are going for different audience I love most showtime shows – SHAMELESS, NURSE JACKIE, UNITED STATES OF TARA, BIG C, EPISODES, HOUSE OF LIES, CALIFORNICATION- love the fuck word and when Hank Moody says motherfuckers . HBO I loved Dexter, Weeds and loved TRUE DETECTIVE 1ST SERIES and Sopranos. Happyish reminded me of a show in the 70’s I watched as a kid My World and Welcome to It. The show made me feel a little less alone in the world with my thoughts.

Pat • on Jul 27, 2015 8:09 am

So glad they pulled this. I am usually such a fan of Showtime originals, and this was just unwatchable.

scoo • on Aug 11, 2015 1:53 pm

It seemed like one of those shows that the “it” people in LA liked and nobody else in the rest of the country could figure out what was going on. It truly didn’t hold my interest, but I think if Phillip SH had starred in the show it would have been much better. He could elevate anything.

Happish should have not been canceled • on Aug 15, 2015 3:09 pm

It was one of the funniest shows i ever watched. To bad most of this country are morons. They cant think past the cartoon network.